The patella, the largest human sesamoid bone, is important functional component of the knee extensor mechanism and its treatment is considered to be very important because the fracture involvement to the articular surface occures in most of the cases.

We report 40 cases of fractures of patella treated with operative methods from January 1990 to June 1995 at the department of orthopaedic surgery, Dong-A university hospital.

The results are as follows.

1. Among 40 cases, 29 cases were male and 24 cases were belong to 3rd decade and 4th decade.

2. The most common cause of injury was slip down or fall down.

3. The pattenrs of fracture were transeverse in 21 cases, vertical in 2 and comminuted in 17.

4. The methods of surgical treatment were modified tension band wiring in 33 cases, circumferential wiring in 2, partial patellectomy in 4 and total patellectomy in 1.

5. In patient treated with modified tension band wiring, range of motion of the knee was 128 and mean duration of bone union was 9.2 weeks.

6. Complications were limitation of range of motion in 3 cases, refracture by slip down in 1 case and wire migration in 1 case.